Gairo Vecchio, one of the most enthralling ghost towns in Ogliastra, sits on the right slope of Monte Trunconi and dominates the left bank of the Rio Pardu.
Apparently, it takes its name from the Greek “earth that flows“. The town’s tormented history started at the end of the nineteenth century when numerous, violent storms damaged the town causing cave ins and landslides. The terrible flood in 1951 determined the final abandonment of the town and move by the inhabitants to three new neighbouring areas: Gairo Sant’Elena, Taquisara and Cardedu.
Nowadays, Gairo Vecchio is a silent, open-air museum which offers full immersion into the town’s distant history and past life. The abandoned homes, overrun by luxuriant wild nature growing there, depict the everyday family lives of shepherds, peasants and traders.
Granite and schist were used to build the houses and the church of Spirito Santo, of which very little remains.
